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Artist Profile: Peter Gordon

Peter Gordon is an experimental composer and musician based in New York. I first encountered his work through a compilation issued by DFA Records in 2010. Peter Gordon & Love Of Life Orchestra collects many of the Downtown New York classics Gordon created with his, well, Love Of Life Orchestra, a seemingly boundless assemblage of avant-garde musicians. He and longtime collaborator Kit Fitzgerald are pioneers of music film, collaborating on live and recorded performances around the globe - Stills of Fitzgerald’s playful, painterly work adorn much of his catalog. There’s been ample writing about his era of his career - I encourage you to do some of your own digging - so I will be focusing here on his more contemporary collaborations, which cement his continued relevance in the avant-garde. 

                          Beachcombing (Edit), 2012. Video by Kit Fitzgerald. 

2012 saw the release of the Beachcombing EP on Optimo Music. It began with a fan letter from DFA Labelmates Factory Floor’s Nik Void, but soon became a full-fledged collaboration with all 3 contemporary members of the group participating. Full details and a statement from Peter are available on the Optimo Bandcamp, make sure to give it a peek. Beachcombing seems to sprawl endlessly - rugged modular synth work and Void’s haunting vocals provide surprisingly suitable grounding for Gordon’s hazy soprano sax and intuitive overdubs. The collaboration elevates what began as a dance track to the world of modern composition, exemplifying the boundless creativity and opportunities for collaboration allowed by digital communication and technology - while maintaining an human, analog touch. C Side is complimentary, but entirely different - alto sax scribbles on top of playful synth loops and mumbling vocoder is drowned out by forceful electric piano, resulting in a tune both fresh and timeless. Beachcombing is available on vinyl on Discogs and digitally on the Optimo Music Bandcamp. 

                                  Oh Men, 2016. Video by Dan Tombs. 

One of his more surprising ongoing collaborations has been with Tim Burgess, most famous as the frontperson of 90′s British rockers The Charlatans. 2016 saw the release of a collaborative LP titled Same Language, Different Worlds on Burgess’ O Genesis Recordings, a collection of left-field pop songs. Aptly described as “Beguiling and Beautiful” by the Guardian, who further compares the record to Eno’s Another Green World and Bowie’s Berlin period - references commonly invoked, but rarely justified. Oh Men masquerades as an electronic pop ballad, but is far deeper than that - confidently plucked bass and delicate percussion back Gordon’s sax squalls and Burgess’ deadpan vocals. Beginis another highlight - rigid electronic instrumentation gradually loosens, shining brightly beneath echoing vocals. Unguarded is representative of the more experimental material on the LP - starting with relatively rugged sequenced drums and wisps of held saxophone, Burgess gives his falsetto a solid workout, drawing immediate comparisons to Gordon collaborator Arthur Russell. Comparisons aside, the exuberance and joyous creativity of this LP allows it to avoid becoming merely derivative of the past. Gordon and Burgess maintain a sense of focus and forward momentum, making this a truly successful pop record that demands further consideration. 

                             Unguarded, 2015. Video by Kit Fitzgerald.

I would be remiss to ignore his older works entirely, so I’d like to shine a bit of a light on a track from his 1986 solo LP Innocent. The LP Features many of the classic LOLO players (including Arthur Russell), but my personal favorite track is The Day The Devil Comes To Getcha, cowritten by Laurie Anderson (She included an gloomy and minimal alternate version on her 1989 LP Strange Angels). Gordon’s version is rugged, raw, and bombastic, featuring a lead vocal by Clarence Fountain, founding member of gospel group The Blind Boys of Alabama. Perusing the liner notes on the LP, I am drawn to a quote that appears on the top of the insert - “Behind each of these songs is a story. Within each of these songs lies a story. And it’s our own story.” I believe this quote encapsulates what makes his work endlessly compelling - Gordon is not an anonymous auteur, but an alchemist that never loses sight of the big picture. He  and his collaborators are clear products of their respective environments, and he seeks to amplify and champion their diversity. With Peter, one plus one often equals far more than two. 

Peter Gordon has recently released a collaborative album with David Van Tieghem to universal acclaim, be sure to give it a spin on the Foom Bandcamp. 2017 will see a new EP featuring a reissue of Condo from his rare Casino EP in addition to previously unreleased tracks. He is currently in the studio, hard at work on new material. Berlin Tales V is available now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp. Peter asked to dedicate his track to “Ryan Walsh, who was not in Oakland, but truly embodied the DIY spirit and passed away the other night, much too young to go.”. All proceeds from the compilation benefit the victims of the Oakland fire and the Trans Assistance Project. 

Berlin Tales V by Peter Gordon

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Artist Profile - Benny Boeldt

Benny Boeldt is a musician based on Baltimore, MD. You may know him from his LPs of jittery and ecstatic indie pop under the name Adventure on Carpark Records, or perhaps his performances with the Dan Deacon ensemble. I first met him at Brooklyn’s aesthetically pure dive bar Alphaville, where he was co-headlining with fellow LTM contributor Gobby. I’d seen a few Adventure sets (RIP 285 Kent) and had a pretty solid idea of what I should expect - which was immediately torpedoed as I heard his soundcheck. Boeldt conjured a squall of noise from a rack-mounted sampler and a couple other pieces of obscure-ish gear that would ring in my ears for days afterwards. I didn’t quite catch what he said when he was done, but he seemed pretty pleased.

8 Of Cups is the artist’s first record under his own name, and also the sign of a stylistic shift in the producer’s oeuvre. His process for creating record involved taking samples from hundreds of VHS tapes and manipulating them further in the analog realm. The tracks maintain a breezy and supernatural pace without becoming mired in redundant studio trickery. Blue Sky begins with majestic organ and chopped-up vocals (sounding a bit like R Plus Seven-era Oneohtrix) before being stormed by malfunctioning robot whirrs and squeaks and 300 BPM kick drum. Nom is a sprint at breakneck speed - rattling breakbeats are transposed from the full sonic spectrum to 8 bits before disintegrating completely. Performer is one of the more restrained tracks here - the drums sound like shoes being scraped on stiff carpet as cheerful arpeggios intersect with confidently placed sampled vocals. Album closer Living Dream begins with a gated synth line but becomes rapidly unclassifiable as well as self-referential - the sounds here are all new, but are still consistent with the established sonic palette. This results record that is cohesive but also incredible in its playful nature and eclecticism. 8 Of Cups is available now digitally and on LP from the Carpark Bandcamp.

8 Of Cups by Benny Boeldt

2017 will see some more touring from Boeldt, who is constantly refining and adjusting his live rig. See him at Brooklyn’s Sunnyvale with Gobby, Sadaf, and Orange Milk’s HONNDA on Sunday, February 12. Glamour 83 is available now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp, with all proceeds to benefit the victims of the Oakland Fire and The Trans Assistance Project. 

Glamour 83 by Benny Boeldt

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Artist Profile - R. Gamble

R. Gamble (Short for Richard) is a DJ, Producer, and Promoter based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the founder of Lost Souls Enterprises, an artist-run record label and underground music promotions project. I first became aware of him through Fourth World, an annual 18 hour party billed as a ‘communal celebration of local independents’ - which is a fancy way to say ‘cutting edge local music in an unpretentious and comfortable environment’. I could gush endlessly about Jan Woo’s beet salad, the fake grass, the camaraderie of waiting for a fresh ‘dog off the grill, bun in hand - honestly, more parties should have snacks for sale. And I haven’t even mentioned the music - while the typical Lost Souls bookings skew a bit on the darker side, the Fourth World lineups are expertly programmed to emphasize the variety and diversity of sonics in the local scene. And I have yet to mention his excellent poster designs - all of this adds up to make him an in-demand collaborator on events with Diagonal Records, Ascetic House, L.I.E.S., and more. 

2016 saw the release of his debut solo 12″, Teeth Like Foil. One of my favorite releases of the year, I wrote a bit about it in Issue 20 of Love Injection, and I will shamelessly reprint my commentary here: “Title track Teeth Like Foil is a classic electro track with contemporary aesthetics - this is a techno-indebted cousin to vintage club classics like The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight. A crunchy bass riff contrasts nearly with bright cowbells - and then the vocal (provided by Shadow St. Rose) comes in! Nicely effected, the sing-song verses give way to shrieks, yelps, and squeals that straddle the line between joy and terror. It’s followed by a faithful remix by Cleveland producer Prostitutes with a more pronounced kickdrum and reworked percussion, plus loads of moody reverb. Rivers and Mountains is a track along the lines of a Chris & Cosey instrumental - heavily effected drums giving way to a bright, mutant synth riff. Mas Torque is the closer - the darkest of the batch, with a restrained bassline, cosmic synths, and whirlwinds of claps.” Teeth Like Foil EP is available as you read this from the Lost Souls Enterprises Bandcamp. 

R Gamble - Teeth Like Foil EP by R Gamble

2017 will see more events by LSE, including the previously mentioned Etheric with Samuel Kerridge, Appetite, Nick Klein, Rose E. Kross, and Davide Gualandi on February 10th. He will be performing live at Synthicide at Bossa Nova Civic Club on February 2nd, with Scallywag, Semita Serpens, and Andi. He will soon be releasing a tape with Seattle based “Psychedelic Music Collective” MOTOR, keep your eyes peeled on their Bandcamp for updates. And finally, keep your eyes peeled for a very special 10th release on Lost Souls Enterprises, which is said to be a triple LP. Can’t wait. Stemming by R. Gamble is available now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp, with all proceeds to benefit the victims of the Oakland fire and the Trans Assistance Project. 

Lives Through Magic by R Gamble

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Artist Profile - Larry Gus

Larry Gus is the alias of Greek producer, songwriter, and absolute genius Panagiotis Melidis. He’s wildly prolific (if not publicly so) with dozens of unreleased tracks lingering in the digital ether. He’s a true expert on avant-garde and leftfield music - his favorite artists include Black Dice and Albert Ayler, giving a bit of an insight into his own aesthetic. His 2012 LP Years Not Living was one of the first projects I worked on at DFA, a dense collage of eclectic samples, falsetto vocals, and clattering polyrhythms, with a conceptual basis informed by George Perec’s Life - A User’s Manual. With All Your Eyes Look is an ecstatic start -  squeaky horns and snare rolls set the stage as a disembodied larynx gasps, sounding like Mr. Melidis is gripped with a bit of last minute stage fright. The Night Patrols (A Man Asleep) begins with a sample from Wendy & Bonnie’s Endless Pathway before entering the cosmos - lush flutes and a variety of handheld percussion perform the same sonic function as his looped and infinitely layered vocals, forming a head-bobbing piece of psychedelia. But my personal favorite is Pericles - beginning with a fuzzy Black Sabbath riff that is quickly overtaken with frantic rim hits and fried vocals. Squealing horns signal the end of the road, a rugged guitar solo - honestly, the last thing one would expect. Years Not Living is available now and forever from DFA Records. 

Pericles by Larry Gus

I spent a lot of time in the van (well, really, the cheapest rental car we could find) with Larry Gus on his tour in support of fellow LTM contributors YACHT and his 2015 album I Need New Eyes. Larry Gus is a force to reckon with live - running laps around the venue, cracking rude jokes, smashing his forehead open with a microphone - and let’s not forget to mention the uniquely improvised nature of his set, with tracks extended, manipulated, and rearranged on the fly. His sets have always been a delight, but he’s clearly stepped up his game since participating in RBMA Tokyo alongside rising underground stars like Deradoorian, Mumdance, and Lafawndah. A constant highlight each night was non-LP track Angelos Kyriou, named after “the most important Greek musician of this generation” - I don’t know a single one of the words, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to sing along. (Pretty sure the first lyrics are ‘soy chorizo’.) Peek at a live bootleg below for a taste - the clip also includes a bit of Larry’s typical self-deprecating banter. 

I Need New Eyes is a very different record from its predecessor - it maintains the frenetic energy of Years Not Living but places greater emphasis on the songwriting - his lyrics have become more personal, his production more concise. NP Complete is his strongest pop song yet - jaunty organ stabs and funk bass provide an ironic counterpoint to his bleak, anxious lyrics. Belong To Love is a glimmering duet with Orange Milk’s Kate NV, featuring crisp snares and plonky MIDI instrumentation. But my personal favorite is Nazgonya Paper Spike - the longest track on the album, but also the most effervescent. Each bit of instrumentation begins as a short loop that gradually expands and mutates to fill the frequency range before collapsing into a breakdown of found sounds and tin can drums. Listen to it below. 

Nazgonya Paper Spike by Larry Gus

2017 will see more live Larry Gus performances across the globe, keep an eye on his Facebook for announcements. Yacc is available now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp, with all proceeds to benefit the victims of the Oakland Fire and The Trans Assistance Project. 

Yacc by Larry Gus

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Artist Profile - textiles

textiles is the alias of Brooklyn-based producer David Kormanik. Basically, if there was a relevant event in the techno world in the greater NYC area in the last few years - Bunker, Unter, Bunter, you know, all that stuff - David was probably there. He has performed live sets at esteemed underground spots like Pleasure Jail (Silent Barn’s second floor incubator for nascent talent) and Alaska (RIP), but Lives Through Magic contains the first commercial release of his work. 

textiles’ typical material takes the form of extended acid workouts that lean a bit towards the IDM frequency range. Heurisitic begins with a gentle drone gently overtaken by an approaching bassline, lashes of hissing percussion, and 8-bit bleeps and bloops. Now that we have introduced the all of the characters they’re free to mingle - splitting off and recombining in endless ways before we enter the final phase - the kick giving out as the arpeggios filtered to death. noviciado is more tranquil - digital congas and scratchy percussion that sounds like muted postpunk guitar make way for toy piano and a trancey bassline -- there’s even a drop! But what I’m super stoked on are the three longer pieces - lying somewhere between the raw and rugged nature of a hardware set and the eclecticism of an abstract mixtapes, it’s the equivalent of a loaded page in a cartoonist’s sketchbook - playful, unencumbered, intuitive. 

Fathom is a big step for the producer, and a concise document of his sonic palette this far. We have our ping-pong hi-hats, hissing snares and muffled claps, finishing with a flurry of raw digital cowbell. It is available for listening and streaming now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp, with all proceeds to benefit the Gray Area fund for Oakland and the Trans Assistance Project. 

Fathom by textiles

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Artist Profile - Lara Sarkissian

Lara Sarkissian is a filmmaker, sound artist and DJ based in the Bay Area. She releases music and mixes under the name Foozool, and is the co-founder of Club Chai with with DJ, producer, and interdisciplinary artist 8ULENTINA. (https://soundcloud.com/8ULENTINA)  Club Chai is a respected event series and curatorial project, described by its founders as “focusing on highlighting diasporic narratives, women, trans artists, DJs and cultural producers around the hybridization of non-western sounds with western culture.” We’ve yet to meet in person, but we’ve shared plenty of LOLs on the ol’ twitter timeline (follow her on at @_foozool), mostly between the hours of 2-4 AM EST. Side note - I’m really, truly, honestly, unbelievably jealous that she used to work for starwars.com.

Azat Ազատ by foozool

This week sees the launch of Club Chai as a record label. Club Chai Vol 1 neatly encapsulates their aesthetic and mission over 21 tracks - many from artists in the Bay Area, but with contributors spanning the globe. The compilation opens with Some/Thing by Oakland producer lak - a nifty piece of abstract sound design that teeters on the edge of traditional structure before beating a hasty retreat back into the ether. The introduction to 8ULENTINA’s ADANA 2.7 sounds stark in comparison - shaker and cowbell converse over rapidly alternating tones for a few bars, before being quickly swallowed up in a squall of metallic polyrhythmic percussion. Foozool’s Azat Ազատ begins with a ghostly choir at odds with slabs of reverb - marauding synth stabs, rapid-fire breakbeats, and gated samples make this a proper banger. Big Girl by DJ Haram is the first solo production I’ve heard from the Discwoman-affiliated Philly producer, and it’s a treat - sweeping strings and brass pipe up before being pounded down with ear-splitting percussion stabs, making the mixing on Yeezus sound like an exercise in restraint. Fellow LTM Contributor Russel E.L. Butler’s Def Jam 5 10 16 is a bit atypical for the Bay Area producer - more Trans Europe Express than Acid Tracks, if you catch my drift. These tracks and many more are available on Club Chai Vol 1, available as a pay-what-you-want download on Bandcamp.

Club Chai Vol. 1

Foozool and 8ULENTINA recently began a Club Chai residency on Radar Radio London, playing some totally brilliant back to back sets. (Listen to those here.) But her contribution to the Generic Mix series has gotten me to press play again and again. I honestly don’t know much about the artists presented (or honestly much about the music, period - which is a good thing!) so I will spare you some lame personal commentary on the mix itself, but I highly recommend that you give it a spin.

When submitting her track to Lives Through Magic, Lara passed along the following dedication: “I dedicate this to all who have helped 8ULENTINA and I run Club Chai Oakland the past year - our collaborators, those who've provided spaces and resources, artists we've played with and booked, the artists who have supported us in every way possible, and all the beautiful resilient souls who contribute so much to Oakland and Bay Area's music and arts communities and continue to inspire us.” Geghard (Extended) is available now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp. 

Geghard (Extended) by Lara Sarkissian

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Artist Profile - Black Meteoric Star

Black Meteoric Star is the techno project from musician and artist Gavin Russom. I gotta say, I honestly don’t know where to start when introducing him - he always seems to be a few steps ahead of me, and honestly, most other folks too. He’s constructed bespoke instruments for himself and many members of the NYC Underground and is a critical part of LCD Soundsystem. He’s been creating genre-smashing tunes since 1996, as evidenced in the recent retrospective of his material as Paper Eyes, released last year on Ecstatic Recordings. He is a strong advocate for social justice and truly leads by example, working with a diverse range of collaborators. This leads to a very eclectic collection of projects - which run the gamut from free-love disco, to relentless acid, to cosmic minimalism. 

Gavin Russom’s Boiler Room set is one of my favorite sessions of the storied underground music program. Held in the intimate basement of Trans-Pecos, Gavin headlined after deafeningly raw and rugged sets by Person of Interest, Certain Creatures, Gut Nose, and fellow LTM contributor Bookworms. He coaxes a dizzying array of sounds from a few pieces of bespoke gear, his confidence and proficiency joining forces to create a concise and compelling improvisation, equally stimulating to the feet and mind. His physical appearance may no longer match the stereotypical “Wizard” that described his look during the early days of DFA, but his sonics remain the work of a truly talented alchemist. 

With such a variety of projects and sounds, it was a bit of a challenge to choose my favorite studio recording of his. The Crystal Ark is a disco orchestra with a massive cast of contributors, the fruits of a collaboration between Gavin and video artist Viva Ruiz. Singles such as We Came To and The Tangible Presence Of The Miraculous are total bangers (especially the Dub versions - check out one below), and are absolutely at home with your choice of Paradise Garage classics. But this is a bit different - a mournfully sung yet uplifting ballad, with Gavin crooning in falsetto over delicate chords from the namesake Rhodes piano. It reminds me of the album tracks on LPs by late 80′s dance acts like Lil’ Louis and Ten City - an opportunity for artists that are known for 12″ bangers to write something without the immediate concern of the dancefloor. Rhodes by The Crystal Ark is available on their self-titled album on DFA. 

Chicago underground label Nation released The Xecond Xoming of Black Meteoric Star in 2016. Peep a video for the electro jam No Map below, and heed the following instructions - “This video the only document that will be shared for the public to see and hear. If you want to listen to the full body of work contained in this album, we strongly encourage you to seek out the nearest record store of your trust because it's the only option present as we're always going out of our way changing and bending the rules deeply imprinted in the self-conception of Nation, which is designed as a label to never repeat itself, and always seek new challenges along the way.” Feel free to go to another tab and update your Discogs wantlist, I’ll wait. 

Black Meteoric Star will be performing a modular synth set and screening a new film on January 26 at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust, the debut of their new Movements in Modular series. Highly recommended! Universal Love by Black Meteoric Star is streaming now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp. 

Universal Love by Black Meteoric Star

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Artist Profile - Gobby

Gobby is a visual artist and musician currently based in the greater New England area. I had heard a bit of his music in the DFA office, but it didn’t make an impact on me until I saw him perform an autere yet rugged solo drum performance at at Cameo Gallery in 2013. I caught him occasionally since then - a Dean Blunt show here, MoMA PS1 there - until fate struck. Gobby had recently released an album titled The Roommate, a strange collage of sounds that is equal parts radio drama and experimental dance music. He’d tweeted that he would have CDs of new material for sale at a release party later that week, but after arriving at the party, I was a bit too shy to ask him for one. He messaged me out of the blue a few days later with a zip of that very material, pitching it for release on DFA. He also told me to hold tight, as he was putting the finishing touches on the final track, and that it’d be ‘worth the wait’.

He wasn’t kidding! Romance Frog is a three part epic, traversing dozens of vibes over it’s nearly 9 minute funtime. Beginning with a single ribbit and hazy synth pads, toy drums create a glossy structure for the vocals to slough and grumble off of. The field is cleared for a journey with cosmic flutes, and staccato piano before the track kicks back in with anthemic flanged lasers. Gobby’s voice returns, barely comprehensible under layers of autotune before that too is stripped away, his voice stark and raw over barely audible ambient twinkles. And then it returns -  mutating and warping his voice in countless ways, before we reach the coda - “We can drive for miles and miles / we can sleep on the way” - making you wonder if you were, in fact, dreaming this whole time. Romance Frog is a monumental work that stands in contrast to much of the producer’s atonal, rhythmic catalog - and hopefully informs more of his LP projects in the future. No Mercy Bad Poet is available on cassette and as a digital download on Bandcamp.

No Mercy Bad Poet has a strong visual component, with a slate of unique music videos, created by Gobby in collaboration with various directors. My favorite is The Dishwasher. One of the more traditional tracks on No Mercy, it’s loaded with foley sounds and pummeling drums, made even more surreal by the hyperreal rendered visuals. Check it out above. 2016 also saw the release of Rock Paper Fuck You, the second album under his Monkeybone alias. Free Red Bull is a nice piece of lo-fi techno - impossible to dance to, honestly, but a neat sound collage that regurgitates and mutates the tropes of the well-trod genre. Whatever it is you do all day is similarly atonal - starting off with immediate squelches and squeaks over incredibly distorted drums - each layer sounds like it’s being eaten by termites, a hollow shell teeming with an invading lifeform. Sound Coffee Du (Library Version) is a warped take on acid house, with dozens of engines squealing and cranking away but never quite coming to life. Rock Paper Fuck You is available for free download on Bandcamp. 

Rocks Paper Fuck You by Monkeybone

2017 will see more live appearances from Gobby across the United States, in addition to the release of a concept album with many interwoven narratives late in the year. He will be performing at Sunnyvale with fellow LTM contributor Benny Boeldt along with SADAF and Honnda on February 12. Friendly Commute is streaming now on the LTM Bandcamp. 

Lives Through Magic by Gobby

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Artist Profile - Alice Cohen

Alice Cohen is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist based in Brooklyn, New York. I could spend some time plagiarizing her monster of a Wikipedia page, but rest assured she’s explored nearly every avenue, alleyway, and thoroughfare that’s existed in popular music from 1978 ’til the bleeding edge of the present. She’s no longer spending months of her life in a van but has maintained an enviable pace, releasing 5 respected solo LPs on small labels since 2008. I was a big fan of her 2012 LP Pink Keys (Olde English Spelling Bee), and was incredibly stoked when I discovered that she was collaborating with Delia Gonzalez for a slate of live performances of Gonzalez’ piano masterpiece In Remembrance (DFA, 2015). I’m an avid fan of solo performers and have seen many, but few are as uniquely virtuosic as Alice - she’s not up there singing to a backing track, but layering keyboard melodies, poking at a drum machine, and vamping with a flute - a true one person band.

Her visual arts practice is a reflection of her music - dense collages built of retro signs and signifiers, familiar yet surreal. Perfumes of Venus is a great primer for her visual aesthetic - layers of stop-motion animated magazine clippings, kaleidoscopic video footage, and psychedelic oil effects are added, subtracted, and intersected by her intuition alone, with very little editing needed after the initial filming. The narrative is told in broad but considered strokes, leading to a piece that delights the eyes, ears, and mind. This intuitive yet precise construction is mirrored in her songwriting process - speaking to Liz Pelly in Impose magazine in 2015,  she stated “I’m still really crude with my methods. I have my own primitive way of doing things. I don’t program anything. Everything is played live. With drums, I do everything, one kick drum beat at a time.” I disagree with her use of the term ‘primitive’ - I would prefer ‘ingenious’ - even if at times it is not the “right” or “most efficient” method to achieve desired results, she is able to bend and twist and mold her raw materials and tools to work the way she would like them to. I must also note that she has made many commissioned videos for other musicians, check out a survey of them here.

Looking Glass by Alice Cohen

2015 saw the release of her most recent LP, Into The Grey Salons. She elaborates about the concept of the title further in that Impose piece - “The grey salons were this series of rooms in the department store back in the 1800s. They were these small rooms where women would go and try things on – this corridor of rooms. I’ve seen pictures. It was this whole world.” Looking Glass is an highlight - Cohen drawls over twangy guitar (clearly being worn up high) as hyperreal electronic instrumentation chirps, hums, and swirls. The Apothecary is nearly its total opposite - analog piano is swallowed up in a haze of indistinct chanting, cosmic filters, and eerily held flute tones. The Grey Salons is another ambient track - beginning with grand piano, Tones on Tail style guitar (played at the wrong speed, of course), and a wonky but authoritative bassline. Into The Grey Salons is available now on Bandcamp.

Into The Grey Salons by alice cohen

You can see Alice Cohen performing live in support of New Music ensemble Tigue at Tiny Montgomery in Gowanus on February 5th. She will also be performing at the Silent Barn on March 7, 2016 with Tidal Channel, Katie Rush, Widow of Culloden, and DJ Raw Thrills. Folks in the bay area should stay tuned for a “multimedia thing with some friends” at San Francisco’s Adobe Books, occurring towards end of April 2016. In terms of recorded work, she is working on material for a cassette release due sometime this year. Dawn Electrique is streaming now on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp.

Dawn Electrique by Alice Cohen

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Artist Profile - Polygrains

I was introduced to Polygrains’ music while on the road, tour managing DFA act (and fellow LTM Contributor) Larry Gus. I think we were driving to pick up a rented floor tom in Portland, Oregon, and Larry was “DJing” on the car stereo. I won’t lie and say I remember specifically how Larry introduced him, but it definitely involved the word ‘fuck’ and the phrases ‘one of my biggest inspirations’. Polygrains is the electronic project from the eclectic London-based Greek musician Vasilis Moschas, the latest product of the intersection of decades of equal study and creation. 

2016 saw the release of Pleasure Coma, a brilliant record of 4/4 synthpop jams. Lead single Salome hits the ground running - the track ticking and pulsing along, lead by a snappy snare drum. The vocals and related production reminds me of The Hurting by Tears For Fears - animated but mournful, detached but soulful - providing a great counterpoint to the peppy keyboard and kazoo vamps. Many records with similar sonic references points end up sounding dour and monotonous, but Polygrains’ compositions are spirited and lively, with constant little sonic flourishes and surprises. 

Oceans and Canyons by Polygrains

Oceans and Canyons is a great example of the mission stated in the album’s press release - “...formally based on repetitive patterns, 4/4 rhythms, kick and snare, almost all songs around 116-120 BPM, double the heartbeat, evoking a sense of arousal and excitement, a pleasure coma.” Electro bass and filtered percussion are the lines on the road, with layers of keyboard lines and analog hiss swerving in and out - cosmic but clear-headed, referential but not slavishly retro. There has always been a vibrant dialog between Europe’s synthpop and American house and techno music, encompassing the spectrum between Cybotron and Daft Punk (and dozens of other data points) - and this is an excellent record in this tradition. Pleasure Coma is available now on Bandcamp. 

Pleasure Coma by Polygrains

When asked what he is planning to get up to in 2017, Polygrains stated, “My goal for this year is to stop waking at 6AM against my will.” R.A.W. by Polygrains is now streaming on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp. 

R.A.W. by Polygrains

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Contributor Profile - Ciarra Black

Ciarra Black is an electronic music producer and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York. I’m pretty sure I met Ciarra for the first time at a Nothing Changes night at subterranean LES dive Home Sweet Home, but became a true fan after witnessing a raw and rugged performance at Berserktown II from her group Appetite, A duo with photographer and performance artist Jane Chardiet. An off-balance blender loaded to the brim with rugged electronics and machine rhythm, the Appetite EP is one of my favorite releases on Ascetic House to date. It’s woefully out of print (I had to beg for a copy and swear it would never end up on Discogs), but you can hear it all on Youtube - my fave track Anxiety is embedded below. (There’s an excellent Remix of this track by 2MR’s DUST as well.)

Ciarra is the co-founder of No-Tech with JR Nelson, a record label and events series, the latter formerly based at recently shuttered Williamsburg bar Over The Eight - but don't worry, it will be back soon. The label released two excellent titles in 2016, one of which is Threads by Speaking Parts, Alias of Philadelphia producer Dan Shields. Opening track Kaputt is anything but, a peppy acid workout with claps reverberating down from the stratosphere. Thin Air begins with a throb of bass, bulldozing through jungles of delicate modular sounds, setting the mood for the high-energy acid bath of Uninvited Guest. 

Speaking Parts - Threads by No-Tech

The other No-Tech release in 2016 was the album Pendulum, Ciarra Black’s debut album. I covered this release in Issue #19 of Love Injection, and will reprint some of my commentary here - “Contained is a solid opening track - waves of noise functioning as an aural palate cleanser while teasing what’s to come. Chemical Burn builds up (and knocks down) a series of loops that nicely compliment each other - snappy snares, waves of distorted bass, and breakdown heralded by a twinkly digital cowbell riff. The Door is also a sonic treat - analog rumbling with hazy, distorted riffs - there’s a noise in here that reminds me of classic OMD as well. Translation None starts off deceptively low-key with square waves but quickly layers on hissing steam and vamping industrial sounds, occasionally receding for crisp snare drum breaks. Axi Flux is the definite centerpiece - the entire album builds to these noisy synth lines and drum workouts highlit between walls of throbbing kick. Sudden Movement functions as a dubby comedown, showcasing the producer’s skills at restraint and minimalism.”

Ciarra Black - Pendulum by Ciarra Black

In 2017, Ciarra will see her first appearance on 12″ vinyl and more expertly selected releases on No-Tech.  You can see her at The Long Count Cycle’s Closed Circuit X on January 21, and as a part of the Duo Appetite, with Nick Klein and Samuel Kerridge at Sunnyvale, February 10th.

Series Of is now streaming on the Lives Through Magic Bandcamp.

Lives Through Magic by Ciarra Black

[livesthroughmagic-blog]

Introductions

Hi there - In case you don’t know who I am, I'm Kris Petersen, former label manager at DFA records, and an avid fan of underground electronic music and DIY spaces. I, with the help of literal dozens of other talented folks have put together a compilation titled Lives Through Magic to benefit the victims of the Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, CA. All proceeds will be equally divided between the Gray Area Foundation For The Arts (an Oakland 5013c organization that has set up a fire relief fund, as seen here: https://www.youcaring.com/firevictimsofoaklandfiredec232016-706684) and the Trans Assistance Project, which is an ongoing program that helps trans folks meet their real-time financial, legal, and medical needs.

The title Lives Through Magic is adapted from a quote by pop Keith Haring about drawing - but I believe the sentiment applies to all forms of creativity, individual and communal. “Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.” (I also appreciate the wordplay created by the alternate definitions and pronunciation of “lives”.) This compilation has been birthed due to a tragic event, but I do not want the compilation to be a souvenir of a tragedy. I am instead aiming for a positive document of the beauty that exists in the minds, bodies, and spirits of our small, but global community. Many of the folks contributing have performed in, lived in, and truly loved DIY spaces like Ghost Ship.

The compilation is available on 2x cassette and digital formats, and will be available for preorder on January 9, 2017. There is an additional option in the works where you will be able to get a personalized lathe cut record copy of a track of your choice - please hold for further details.

It will be released digitally on January 30th, with the double cassette arriving in mailboxes some time after. Hopefully not too much time, but we all know how physical production goes sometimes. It’s a ton of music - 42 tracks and over three hours! I will be making an effort to individually highlight as many of the contributors as possible in the time between announcement and release with short features, which will be sent in weekly digest form via email to folks who preorder, and also mirrored on https://livesthroughmagic.tumblr.com.

I’d love to give the most special of thanks to Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering, who has donated countless hours thus far mastering this compilation.

Thanks for your support and interest thus far!

//kris_tba

[livesthroughmagic-blog]

Artwork for Lives Through Magic Volume I, illustrated by Keith Rankin.